Connection with taximeters or fare-indicators for vehicles.



O. MASGART.

CONNECTION WITH TAXIMETERS 0R FARE INDICATORS FOR VEHICLES.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN.15, 1908.

912,704. Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

THE Maxims PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, ac.

iii

UNITED CHARLES MASCART, OF PARZS, FRAJIIOE.

CONNECTION WITH TAXIMETERS OR FARE-XNDICATORS FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application filed January 15, 1968. Serial No. 410,990.

To all whom it may concern:

Be .it'lmowii that l, CJ'TARLES Miiso-inr, citizen of the FrenchRepublic, residing at Paris, .Frz'uice, and whose post-ofiice address is27 Rue de Loudres, in the said city, have invented certain new anduseful Improvemc ts in Connections with Taximetcrs or Farc-liulicatorsfor Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in taximetcrs orfare indicators for vehicles and more particularly to an attachment "formodifying, if desired, the conditions of tariff on taking fares, withoutmodifying in any way the working of the operating parts of theindicator. At the present time taximcters give for the same initialtarifi' to be paid different distances. By means of the arrangement inaccordance with this invention several initial tariffs for one distancecan be fixed.

The present improvement is applicable to all. tari'll indicators ortaximeters now in use and in which a flag or a handle is employed tochange the tar-ills an d return the appara tus to zero. In the exampleshcreinsi ter described, it is presumed that the changes of tariiis andthe return. to zero are etlected by operating a flag and that thearrangement is intended to modify the value cl the initial tariil to bepaid when taking a fare.

Inv the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation showing theconstruction and relation of a tariff modifying attahmen t in accordancewith the present 111VQ11- Lion, the attachi'nent being employed. inconnection with a taximeter having a heart shaped cam for returning tozero the indicatiiig disks or drums. Fig. 2 shows a construction of thepresent invention adopted for use in connection with a taXimeter inWlllCl]. a ratchet wheel is substituted for the ram shown in Fig. 1.,and Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the construction. shown in Fig. 1.

The flag shaft, on which is mounted the flag 1, and which controls thetariii and the returning to zero, carries also a cam 2, provided with arecess 2. on

The arbor O which the tenths indicating drum or dis: is keyed, carriesat one end the heart shaped cam 4, such device being ordinarily used toreturn to zero any taximeter apparatus.

The present invention comprises essentially a bell crank lever as 5which is pivoted at 6 and which has a longer curved arm 5 and a shorterarm 5*, the latter terminating in a tooth for engagement in. the recessof the cam 4 in a manner and for A 1 pose to be described. The cam. d isordii. l3? returned to zero by a lover wl'lich bears upon the face ofsaid cam and is held in such engage ment by a retractile spring 16. *helever 5 is intended to impart a movement to the cam through a determinedangle so as to reflect o modification of the initial "art; rodiaaoioi.and for this )ose mployed, the spring 7 beii'ig the arm 5' on said leverand beit in its action than the spring 16. merit oi the lover in onedirecti trolled by the spring 7 nd iii an opposite oireotior by a handlever 81 or under diiiercnt circumstances by a segment carried upon theflag shaft end projecting beyond the periphery of the earn 2.

The lever 8 can be operated from the outside of the oi the apparatus andis mounted or the arbor 9 to which two oppositely projec arms 10 and 11are secured. The normal position of the cam 4; when the i adiccti,u,.drums set at Zero, is shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines, d cam having beenmoved to such position by the lever 1.5 through. the actioi".v oi? thespring 16.

The operation is as follows I rue flag lbeing raised, and the lever 8being in the dotted line position 8 of Fig. 1, the arm is held raised.in the position 5 by its arm 16 on the arbor ,sucharmiGbeing ti position1.0, and the heart shaped cam i i The driver then lowers the flag to .epositioo. 1 for instance. TlZO various par-fie (not shown) oi theindicator tall back into ongagement with their respective ratchet wheelsin a manner common in the art, and the working of the fare indicator be'5 in the usual manner. ltwi l be seen that in consequence of the shapeof the cam 2, the driver can not further modify the position of thelever 8 before raising his flag and he, therefore, can not modify thethrill: indicated and fraud is prevented. Let it now be presumed that itis desired to modify the i111 1111 tariff the driver owing to theprovision of ti. e recess 2, moves the lever from the position 8 intothe position shown in full line, it being understood that the flag israised. In this last position the arm 10 disengages the arm 5 of thelever 5 end the arm 11 assumes the full line position shown, whereby thedriver can lower his flag. When he lever 8 is thus moved, the flag beingraised, the spring comes into operation and the arm 5 oi the lever 5actuates the heart shaped cam 4, the spring 6 being stronger in itsaction than the spring 16. In consequence of the partial rotation of theflag aXis the various pawls of the fare indicator come into engagementwith their respective ratchet wheels, the indicating dials or drumsbeing thereby rendered stationary in the position to which they werebroug'nt by the action of the lever 6 on the heart shaped cam 4. Thepartial rotation ol" the lag axis brings the projecting part 12 underthe arm 5 of the lever 5 which again releases the heart shaped cam 4,the rotation of the arbor 3 being tnus rendered absolutely free. Meansare provided also for disengaging the lever 15 from the cam 4t, and suchmeans comprise a sliding rod 18 which engages the lever 15 at one endand whirl: at its other end is engaged by the projection 17 oi the camthe projection 17 eilecting axial movement ol the lever 18 and thelatter moving the lever to the dotted line position 15.

T he arrangement described is very simple employed to return tl;eapparatus to zero and to those in winch spiral or other springs areemployed tor the same purpose.

in tile adaptation shown in Fig. 2, the bell 1 crank lever 5 instead ofacting on a heart In a mechanism of the type set forth, the

combination with a taximeter flag shaft and an arbor carrying theindicating di ks, ol means for modifying the initial tarii'l indicationcomprising a cam secured on said lag shaft and having a recess, a bellcrank lever having angularly projecting arms, a recessed wheel on saidarbor for engagement by one of the arms of the bell crank lever, springmeans i for moving t-lie bell crank le er to engage 1 said arm with saidrecessed wheel, a

provided with an operating lever and itn two oppositely pro ecting arms,one arm ol a said last named shaft engaging the otler arm of said bellcrank lever, and the other arm of and can be applied both to fareindicators or taxinieters in which heart shaped cams are 3 shaped camreturning the indicating drums to zero, acts through the medium of apawl 13 on the teeth of a ratchet wheel 14 secured to the arbor 3 on thedrums, the arbor 3 being i 1 i 1 l l said last named shaft being movablewith respect to tile axis ol' said earn, and a Pl'() tion on said lagshaft ior engaging the last named arm of said bell crank lc er.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscriljiing wit- HGSSGS.

CHARLES MASCi-XRT. itneSses H. C. Conn, EMILE KLoTz.

